Control board



Feb. 24, 1953 c. w. JOHNQSON CONTROL BOARD 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct.29, 1945 INVENTOR. CL A UDE W. JOHNSON 0M A T TURNEY Feb. 24, 1953 c. w.JOHNSON CONTROL BOARD 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed 001'.. 29, 1945 (IttornegCLAUDE W. JOHNSON .a o @Hmz a@ Sesoav ..0 @Aou Non M mm2 I sa@ 2m.:

Patenfec Feb. 24, 1953 CONTROL nonni) Cleueie W, 1011115911, BerkeleyCeliit, eeeiexwe by mesne assignments, to Trendica'tvslystenisol, SanFranoisco, Edif, a, corporation of Caliornia.

Application @einher 29 19415; Sferiel NSL 6.2.5?219 9 Claims,-

"all phases of operations-such yes inventories, styles,-

meterie'lsv, production, budgets, etc.

ln eorieideriiie ihe suieieei ef business eeiiireie, it is essentiel iedistinguish the `S'fiiiie :from e meeiieniee'l @here 0,11' einemAwiiisifii merely APeitreys e record of persi even-ie- .i true eeiiireimust introduce time ieeteiis 'I1 -eeepel'eiien `With one er Imore-veriebies in -iiie items i9 be een- -irfeiiect and through :..Siieheeeperetieit :periifey trends the activity of bnsiness, on which theproprietor may rely with maximum ,safety in the ondnpt of `his business.

Wilt-eri Sueh eeiiirel telsee the ferm .Qf e eenirei eend eedisiiiieiiiehed imm e Gerd ine-ex eyeieiii ,such eonirelfiieaird may Jeeserie edes ie eiee emieeiiy the feeiiieee @i e mee; cheri @i graph.

The ontrol of inventory lugs been e `very vital probl-em this .con cton,als failure ef ibuiriesfe .extent ie which the teryis `:eeriirelieffi-,A peer eenirei er tiel et ell met' `leere the Prespieier ,eieeiiyfeversieekeii with `deed Diele-W- ;m-eviiie iieme reiireeeniing eniiiiveeimeiii 0i th esente-:e :Off fiielleiie eh @veld @likewise `leeiiiiiieed ifo fezeed edi'aeiiieee; 0i the proprietor might find himself`out of items, which onlition ,eeiild ,resiiii 1e materiel ,lees ef.inetentielibilsi- `mese.er1-,eigoed will.

:My invention is pertieiileriy aepnlieeieie @mene other ihmee to the@entre of meenten ,and is n ee 'designed es te 1v'i'ieueiiv Iprovidemanagement with ,eli the infermei me factors,

items under `oontril. (a2) t items, Q39 :the eeles treed ef teniet/er testeek vier what .items freeeire speci me periods, (t5) @heldere-tion :by

wey :iii

1:13n fS, Q40 @berate invention, in `ecditorjl `to furnishingmaneeemeiii e erreiiiiee'eid eisueii eeiiviiies afnd prenais, prpovilesfor tlie `development .of a he .eeeiiiieeerd .ei iiie Seine, -Wiiiehini-ermetieri Lie `ef eeiieelei iiieie merieeemerii fer ene-weisendiiiiureeieiiiiiiie- Neelie the ebleie 9i ,irvirireniien ere;

(2)"10 provide a, novel and improved control @Pferd :Whiqh Will p eiiieyirenis in the `:rile-Venieilt efitemsiirid .reeiiirei 5x3) flip provide`e `novel Aand improved .control boercl which rneinteins'elllinfpiniietion ont in the 1 -nen Afor visual pins=p e'ztion at ell'tnies;`

ifi) Tre Prende e iiifv'iel eiisi imiiieved een-imi board enabling evisual olfnpei-son I0f levllitems Lieder .een .eli

(5) To rovine e, V I rcn'vel sind improved Qontrol 'boelrd vvliili'oers'a; permnent historica.; record Kw1-Ol) rn'gvide"el velandlirnprovedontrol `boe-rd whichlends itself to rapid servicing or oon-Yereieii i,0. iiii'e iei,1iepeiieeiieiisr y(ljlf) To .provide afinovell''nclrimproved control ry ac:ogniputing or geen ation' equipment in`eli-ei Q Iiefiilebeerd i evifie e iieeieesi impreveei eenirel rgwigipni; `lends itself weging photographed efsiieeews.

' s of my `in veuntioln will be n n, Qiieviiie eeerileiieiief eereferred embodiment of the same, taken in pont Figure lie e view `leperSeeeiiY-eeeriiy breken @vv-ay .of e preferred embodiment @fj-mircontrol eeeeteeier eeiiiieir Figure 2 is a view in section, taken in theplane 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation, of the control boar-d ofFigure l;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal View in section through the tape supporting.panel occupying the central portion of the control board of Figure l;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view in section showing a detail -o-fconstruction of the control board of Figure 1 and the relationship ofthe panel to associated structure therein;

Figure 6 isV a fragmentary view, partly in section, showing a detail o-fconstruction of the .panel f Figure 4;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of a master chart employed in theoperation of the control board of Figure l; K Y

Figure 8 is an edge view of the master chart of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a modified masterchart.

Referring to the drawings, the control board in its assembled formcomprises an outer frame I for receiving and holding a central tapesupporting panel 3 therein. Y

,The outer frame includes vertical end members and 1 joined by upper andlower horizontal members 9 and VI I, respectively. The upper horizontalmember is vformed with a rabbet I3 along the inner edge, leaving adepending rim I5 along the upper edge of the frame opening, while thelower horizontal member is similarly formed with a rabbet Il to providean upstanding rim I9 along the lower edge of the frame opening.V Y

The left vertical end member 5 may be either of singular or compositeconstruction, and includes as a part thereof, a laterally extendingmasking wall 2|.

` The masking wall, itis noted, lies in a forward .Y plane relative tothe common plane of the inner surfaces of the upper and lower rims I5and I9. In the particular embodiment illustrated, the masking wall 2| ispreferably. spaced from such plane by the thickness of the lower rim I9.

The right vertical end member 1 of the outer frame, like the left memberv5, Valso includes a laterally extending masking wall 23, such maskingwall lying in the plane of the masking wall Along theupper horizontalmember 9 of the outer frame, I provide a track on which to hang part ofmy control board. This track includes a rail 25 and a channel 2l ofL-shaped section affixed along one of its edges to the upper member in aposition to overhang the rail and protectlthe auxiliary equipment fromleaving the rail. I

Such Vauxiliary equipment may vary with the use to which the board isput.' For inventory controLsuch equipment calls for a pendulum rod 29pivotally supported from a block 3l which rides on the rail 25; and anarrow blackboard unit or panel 33 which also slidably hangs from therail. The utility of these elements and the manner in which they areutilized in the control of inventory, will be described subsequently inconnection with the operation of the control board.

The panel 3 constitutes an intermediate sec'- tionV of the control boardand is designed to support a plurality of endless tapes 35 to form apanel unit. It is made up of a panel frame 31 of wood or othersuitable-'material enclosing a or slide certain auxiliary equipment foruse as Y fixed sheet or board 39 preferably of relatively soft fibrousmaterial such as Cellotex or the like, capable of receiving and holdingmap tacks. pins, etc.

This frame is composed of end vertical members 4I and 43 joined byhorizontal upper and lower members l5 and l, respectively, all ofgreater thickness than the board 3:3, and inwardly grooved to receivethe board and rigidly hold the same in the frame.

The lower horizontal member 4T at each end has an integral extension t9(Figure 6) reaching beyond the vertical members di and 43, each of whichvertical members in turn having an arcuate groove 5I on its outer edgerunning for its entire length. Such arcuate grooves, together with theadjacent aforementioned extensions 49, form a cradle at each end of thepanel frame, adapted to receive a column, preferably in the form of aspindle 53, the length of which is sufficient to reach to the uppermember 45 of such frame. Y

Vertical movement of the spindle is accordingly prohibited by sucharrangement, in that the forming of the arcuate groove in each Verticalend member, leaves the upper frame member 45 partially overhanging theupper ends of the spindles, as is clearly depicted in Figures l and 5 ofthe drawings.

The spindles 53 provide mountings for the endless tapes 35 whichencircle the panel and constitute the sole means for maintaining suchspindles against displacement in the plane of the board 39 from theirproper operating position. Likewise, such tapes preclude rotation of thespindles, during adjustment of any tape. The spindles are formed of asmooth or close-grained Vmachinable material, preferably a plastic suchas Bakelite, which will oder a minimum of friction to movement of thetapes. Spindles of such material can readily be machined to providegrooves 55 for the reception of such tapes, in order to assure properdisposition and spacing of the tapes across the face of the panel. Inthis respect they constitute guide means for the tapes, 1

l The spacing of the grooves in the spindles will, of course, dependupon the application to which the board is to be put. For inventorypurposes, I prefer to dispose the types in spaced pairs, with the tapesof each pair preferably in edge-to-edge contact. Accordingly, eachgroove on the spindle will be of double tape width, whereby each pair oftapes will be spaced from adjacent pairs by the ribs 51 on the spindleswhich dei-lne the grooves.

Each of the endless tapes is preferably of plastic or similarly usablematerial and formed of two sections. One section 59 is of opaquematerial, preferably colored, and has a dull exposed finish or othertype of surface cap-able of receiving erasable markings, such as pencilnotations. The other section 6I is preferably of transparent plasticmaterial to permit observation of background or such information as maybe mounted on the panel behind the tape.

The two tape sections are joined at the front of the panel preferably byfirst cementing the adjacent ends in overlapping contact, and thenapplying an eyelet 63 through the overlapped ends. Behind the panel, theends of the tape sections are connected by a stretched coil spring 65with sufficient tension on the tape to preclude sagging thereof at anytime.

Inthis connection, the greater thickness of terms `of dozens, gross,gallons, cases, etc. estimated daily sales or use of such item is also idesignated, such `value `being preferably .based on .past sales 4recordsfor the item, if lsuch informaamarsi the panel frame 31 as compared tothe board 38 enclosed thereby, provides clearance 61 for free travel ofthe springs 55 with movement of the tapes; and with respect to the frontof the panel, suiiicient space 69 exists to permit of the accommodationof a master chart behind the tapes.

` A 'guide strip 7-3 (Figure 6i) affixed to each vertical end member ofthe panel frame, overhangs 'the inner edge of such member to form aguide channel for the reception of such master chart. Each Iof thesestrips preferably terminat'es short of the bottom of the frame (Figure6), to allow room for the insertion and withdrawal of such master chartfrom the bottom of the panel, while the masking walls 2| and 23 have alower recessed corner M and l to provide such accessibility. In itsassembled position, the master chart is permitted to rest on the lowerframe member ylll.

The utilization of an eyelet in joining the yends 'of the tape at thefront #of the panel is of con siderable significance in the operation ofymy control board.

For one thing, permits fof the reception of a dull pointed tool formanipi'tlation of the in- -dividua'l tapes. 'It 'likewise is Vadapted toreceive the point of a marking tool such as a pencil, whereby markingsthrough 'the tapes and 'onto the master chart may be madeafor eachadjusted position of such tapes. This latter use enables one to build upa permanent 'record on the master chart, "to be interpreted inconjunction with information which may appear thereon the form oflprinted matter or the like.

The length of the "lower panel frame member 4l' with its `integralextensions 4?9, is such yas lto provide a snug or accurate fit lin theouter iframe, and when the panel .is thus `snugly assembled in the outerframe, the masking walls .2| and 23 cover up the Vends of 'the panel,leaving exposed to view from the front, :only the usable 'portion of thetapes extending across the front fof 'the panel.

For inventory control, Awhich 'application I.

-jacen't associated columns, space is iprovided ,for

applying information iusable 1in :determining movement and positioningof the appropriate tapes, andfinterpretingthe same.

'Thus in one column, is :snot'ed :the :standard ,y

ordering `quantity for .each item, that is, the Vamount of such itemtobesorderedwhen-thestock available for sale reaches a predetermined:minimum. VIn another column` may be noted the 'control unit for suchitem, namely `whether it fbe .in The tion be on hand. .Added to this,yis the money value of such item in terms of its control unit.

Along the right-hand edge o'f the index as viewed in Figure 1,each'i'tem 'should-preferably .be numbered in seouence. lfltheivariousitems of a particularbusine'ss beidentifia'ble by'a :code number, asuitable column may ralsobe added -'for this purpose.

Disposition of the items listed on the findex should be soccrrelatedwith respect 'tof-thefspac- `ing-o'ftapes on the panel, that "when thispanel and outer frame are assembled, each item on the index will be`brought into registry with a pair of the tapes on the panel.

The sequential item numbers appearing aloner the right-hand edge of theindex, should also preferably appear on the shiftable pendulum rod 29.This enables one to readily identify tapes within that general area ofthe board to which attention must be directed when interpreting suchtapes, and the likelihood of error from this source is thereforevirtually eliminated.

The master chart 1| as shown in Figures 6 and 7 is a compositearrangement including a master guide chart 16 having provision for the.application thereto of information pertinent to lthe control of theitems under consi-deration. Such chart is of a size to extend above theuppermost pair of tapes, and this portion of the chart may receive agummed strip "l1, marked olf into elements of the vcontrol period, e. g.the months and days of the year, where the `control period constitutes ayear. Sundays are preferably exeluded as not constituting businessdays..

In lieu of the summed strip, the same information may be applied to anendless vribbon encircling the panel, in which case, two control periodswill appear around the endless ribbon. `This would then enable theribbon to be so adjusted as to start a full control period at any timein the year.

Below this control period listing and adjacent the uppermost tape, mayappear the business days, consecutively numbered. These may be appliedby means of a gummed strip, or may be printed `directly on the Amasterguide chart, as this information wlllnot vary so long as the con-v trolperiod remains *one yea-r.

The remainder of the master guide chart is preferably dividedlongitudinally by heavy 'lines i9 into spaces 3| of double tape width,adapted to coincide with the pairs of tapes on the panel when thecompleted master `chart is assembled to the board,

Along the left-hand edge of the master chart, I prefer to lattach an`index 82 corresponding to that previously described and bearing theidentical information. YThis attached index is folded `under whenthemaster chart is assembled to the board and becomes -a part yof thepermanent record developedon the master Vchart lduring the controlperiod.

The spaces 8| on A"the master guide chart are adapted to receive gummedstrips B3 (Figures 6 and 9), and these, when applied `along withpreviously indicated information, constitute the master chart. Suchgummed strips carry two identical `series of precalculated values basedon the estimated-daily sale or daily use of a particular item with whichit is to be 'associated on the board.

The board, as `thus far explained, embodies the essential features Vforcontrol of inventory, and a discussion of its operation may be in orderat this time. 'In this connection, it is assumed that the 'index hasbeen prepared and applied to the surface of the left-hand member of theouter frame as illustrated. "It ,is 'further assumed that the controlperiod will run for a .period of a year and Vwill start with the i'lrstof January, and that the master chart has been prepared, with aduplicate index and with preca'lculated value strips properly`conforming to `the items listed` The `upper 4tape `of `each v'pairrepresents sales commitments, iwhile :the lower :tape -,represents`:esterel: availablefor sale. '.To .frea'dily .distinguish 7 between thetwo, the" opaque portions of these endless tapes are preferably ofdifferent colors. Red and green provides a pleasing combination for thispurpose though any combination of colors will do.

In setting up the board at the beginning of the control period, allthesales tapes are moved as far as possible'to the left, which Willbring the edge of the opaque portion to the left of the rst vof theprecalculated values. Each of the lower tapes, on the other hand, ispulled out a distance which represents the stock available for sale atthat time.

At a point on each of theopaque portions of the lower or stock tapes,spaced back from the eyelet by a distance representing the standardordering quantity vof 'the item it represents, a mark,.such as an X, isplaced upon the tape, and this becomes known as the ordering point forsuch item.

-With the tapes set up on this basis, the board is ready for use. One ofthe first operations is tc record on the chart, the positions of thevarious stock tapes by marking through the eyelets of Ythese tapes.'Ihese marks constitute the beginning of a permanent record of movementsof all the various tapes during the control period, which,

if desired, maybe graphed for future reference and study. Y

Corresponding marks are madevupon the tapes themselves for current use,by drawing a line across all the tapes, utilizing the edge of themasking Wall 2| as a straight-edge.

With the board in this condition, management has a birdseye view of thecondition of his business at the very beginning of the control period.

During each day as the sales commitments be-1 come known, they aretotalled, and at the end of each day, the sales tape for each item ismoved accordingly. The adjusted position of each sales tape is thennoted on the chart by marking through the eyelet of such tape, and acorresponding mark is added to the tape along the edge of the maskingWall 2 l.

As a sales tape approaches and finally reaches the order point on itsassociated stock tape, such relationship informs the operator of thenecessity of placing an order for the item represented by such pair oftapes, and the amount of such order will be indicated bythe standardordering` quantity for such item as noted on the index.

Immediately upon placing such order, a map tack 85 will be placed on thepanel along the lower edge of the transparent portion of the stock tape,alongside a precalculated value on the gummed strip, preferably justpreceding the one to which the stock tape will be moved when suchordered quantity is received. The tack, in fact, indicates the nextposition to be occupied by the eyelet, and therefore should beinterpreted in terms of the next higher value on the number strip. Y

The placing of such tack informs management that the required order hasbeen placed, though not yet received. Upon receipt of such order andadjustment of the stock tape to its new position, the tack will, ofcourse, be removed.

In the meantime, the day by day sales of the item continue on, and eachtime the sales tape approaches the order point on the stock tape,another order is placed, and when lled, is recorded on the stock tapefor current use, and onto the master chart as part of the permanentrecord.

If the actual daily sales or sales commitments of all items run true tothe estimated values as .set up in the index, all sales tapes V,willmove 'at a 'to hammers.

uniform'rate across the board.l However.. in the normal course ofevents, all items do not run uniformly, for sales of different itemswill vary. Some will lag and some will exceed the estimated averagedaily sales of the items which they represent.. Y Y

If the estimated daily sales values are based on averages for a previouscontrol period, such, for example as that ofthe previous year, thependulum barvcan be used in conveying to managem-ent a visual picture asto which items are lagging the sales of the previous year, which are instep, and which may be leading. This information is arrivedat'by-positionng the pendulum bar at the current date. All sales tapesterminating to the left of the pendulum bar represent lagging sales,While those extending beyond the bar, indicate'sales exceeding-those lofthe previous year. Y

The extent to which such tapes terminate from the pendulum bar, asmeasured by the values on the numbered strips behind them, providemanagement With informationgas to the quantity by which the sale of anitem might be lagging or leading thesale of such item for acorresponding portion of the preceding year. By multiplying such amountby the unit value o-n the index, the amount of business gained or lostin any item may readily be determined. v By the same simple procedure,Amanagernen may readilydetermine the amount of money tied up in aslow-moving or inactive item. Such figure Will obviously be equal to theamount of such item in stock available for sale, multiplied by the unitvalue of such item. Suchinformation is readily'obtainable from thebo-ard, for the stock available for sale Will be equal to that indicatedby the stock tape, less that represented by the sales tape, While theunit value of the item Will be found in the index.

In Figure 3, there have been set up representative conditions which mayoccur during the normal course of a business. An analysis 'of these willserve to illustrate how, through reliance upon the control board;management is enabled to keep a close check on the movement of items and'maintain a perpetual balanced inventory.

The pendulum bar indicates the current date to'Y be January 20th or the18th business day of the year.'

Item #1, for the purpose of illustration, relates The sales tape, itwill be noted, terminates clos'e to the pendulum bar, indicating thatthe sale of this item for the first 18 days 'of the control periodapproximates that of the VVly uniform.

The salles tape Vhas passed the order mark on the stock tape. Thepresence of the tack at Vthe number'50, informs management that thestandard order quantity of 12 dozen hammers has been placed, though notyet filled. When received, the tack will be vremoved and the tapeadvanced to the 52 dozen indication.

In Vthe meantime, the board further indicates to ,management that the 12dozen hammers Which were avail-able for sale when the sales tape.reached the ordering mark, have been sold. .Therefore inasmuch as thereceipt of the ordered quantity would leave the sales .tape at the ordermark, the operator is on notice to immediately increasethe order to 24dozen and move fthe tack to number 69 on the number strip, s o

over three. times by the zilthof January.. for. the 1 markings on thestock tape indicate. thatl the stock has been ordered twice since theinitial inventory, and the position of the sales tape shows that allstock has been sold.`

The sales tape representing item 4t2,K linseed oil lags the sales of thepreceding year by 2.0 gallons, whichl to management would probably not,represent a very serious: matter, but. might b e something thatmanagement wouldwfantito keel? an. eye on.

The order mark has been passed,` but no` tack appears after the stocktape,` thereby placing management on notice to` check as to why an orderhas not been placed to replenish. the. diminishing inventory on thisitem.

The stock of linseed oil has been turnedover twice, and is in theprocess of being turned over for the third time. An available stock of30 gallons is on hand, representing but a small investment of $6.00,`and therefore not a matter of concern to management.

The sale of item #3, peaches, compares favorably with that of thepreceding control period, being behind' by only 20 cases out of 360. Thedaily sales as indicated by the markings on the sales tape are runningrather uniformly. Thus the bo-ard informs management that this item doesnot demand its time and iattention at. this time.

Relative to item #5, Aspirin, the sale of this item lags quite farbehind the sales for the corresponding period of last year. Thisindicates, a condition demanding investigation by manage.- ment. Theseriousness of the situation is carried home by the fact that only `100`gross out of an available supply of 300 gross, have been sold. Thisleaves 200 gross on hand, and at a unit value of $25.00, represents$5000.00 tied up in such item, a very serious situation which should berectified.

Item #6, Hammer-mill White, is moving satisfactorily compared to salesof the previous year. This item, however, should be watched for earlyreceipt of the material on order, to prevent overselling the stock onhand. In fact, the situation is reaching a point where an additionalorder should be placed for a standard order quantity.

n item #7, sales have run ahead of expectancy, and a glance at themovement record as depicted by the markings on the sales tape, shows alarge jump in sales for a short period. This could constitute atemporary condition or it might be the beginning of a long period ofincreased daily sales of the item. Rather than permit such latterpossibility to stampede one :into purchasing on the basis of continuingincreased sales, the board would control buying on the basis of theStandard order quantity plus the amount of sales beyond the order mar-k,to bring inventory back into balance, and this procedure would beadhered to until subsequent sales established the true nature of thetrend. In this manner, excessive inventories are avoided, and a balancedinventory maintained, without risking increased investment.

Thus, 'the various situations depicted bythe board, present tomanagement va visual picture of movements and trends, and forcibly bringto its notice those situations demanding his attention, thus conservingexecutive time, permitting inventories toJ be maintained in balance.holding investments. down to, a safe minimum and vot maintaining suilicientJ material onv hand to provide best service to customers.

In. some businesses.. maintenance of. inventory `down to the.I closestfull unit of an. itommay be adequate.` In some instances, however,accuracy to the fractional Dart of` a unit may 'becalled for. This ismade possible through the use of the narrowblackboard1 unit or panel,33g.v

The blackboard unit. is marked off in accordancen with the number ofitems. provided` for on the: ilidcx-q and columnar provisions made forindicating, opposite eaoh. index: item, the. item unit and current:total; of excess. elements of suchI unit. When suchA current totalreaches one or more fullv units,A the sales tapes areadjusteolaccordingly, andin this manner, inyentory control to theindividual element, may be maintained. The hlaokboardu unit` or panel`33, when employed in this matter,T may. be designated a unitaccumulator,`

As an added feature, of the; control board, I provide an adjustable lineguido in the, form of a rod 89 terminating in a broad baseV Si slidablysupported iny a groove $13` formed vertically in thevertical member 1iof the, outer frame. The. groovel is preferably undercut to receive, acomplementary shaped rod-anchoring element to which the rod is aixed bya pair of vertically spaced screws. A leaf spring 91 attached to an edgeof the` anchoring element serves to normally maintain sufficientfrictional pressure to hold. the, rod in any adjusted. position.

By slightly tilting the rod upward to relieve such pressure, lowering ofthe rod is facilitated. A knob 99. on the base 9.1 of the rod can beused for this purpose.

Extending as it does across the board, the rod serves to line up an itemon the index with its associated tapes and related spaces on theblackboard unit, thus facilitating the Study and analysis of a situationrequiring the. concentrated attention of management. ln this connection,proper alignment of these factors can be obtained by a simple adjustmentof the rod, made possible by providing an arcuate slot 10| in theanchored end of the rod for the upper screw.

Aside from the application of the board for control of inventory andother business activities, the simplicity oiv its structure permits ofthe board to be conveniently and economically serviced, and inasmuch asthe spindles are merely cradled in the panel,l and maintained inoperating position solely by the tapes, they are readily interchangeablefor others, to provide for a differenttape grouping, thereby expandingthe field of usefulness of the invention.

The pendulum bar possesses the feature of swinging action, whereby itpermits adius-tment of tapes beyond the position o-f the bar without thenecessity of withdrawing the tape adjusting tool.

By providing a master guide chart and applying the information theretoby means of prepared strips, the character of the installation offers nolimitations. The board can be set -up to meet the particular problem itis to solve and is not tied down to `some specific application in alimited ii'eld.

Thus the board becomes very flexible .its applications, and suchiiexbilityV to use is enhanced by the fact that in employing such numberstrips, bearing preoalculated values. the

A"necessity of resorting to the use of afslide rule,

bar, there are no physical limitations as to the positions to whichthese elements may be adjusted.

The elements of the board which cooperate `in furnishing the informationfor control, lie in closeparallel planes, and this in conjunction 'withthe color contrasts existing between such elements, permit the board tobe photographed in sharp detail and with a minimum of shadow. This givesa clear-cut pictorial representation of the board, usable in lieu ofcustomary voluminous reports, for consideration and study by vmanagementat remote points.

structurally, the board is subject to modification and alteration,without departing from .the Aunderlying principles thereof. As oneexample, the master guide chart may constitute a sheet ID3 of groundcork or other suitable composition, preformed or molded with spacedparallel ribs |05, defining channels |01 Ainto which the number stripsmay be pressed,

thereby avoiding theV labor and inconvenience of pasting such strips.Other changes will occur to those skilled inthe art.

Also, the spindles 53' may take the form Vof other types of columns,even to the extent of fabricating such columns by assembling apluralityrof rollers and spacing Washers of greater diameter onto a coreor shaft.

I, therefore, do not desire to be limited in my protection to thespeciflc details illustrated and described, except as may benecessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A control board comprising a central portion, a plurality of movabletapes disposed along said portion in parallel relationship to oneanother, a pendulum rod disposed transverse to said tapes, meanspivotally supporting said pendulum rod for Yswinging movement in a planeparallel to the plane of said tapes, and means yfor moving said pendulumrod at will along said tapes.

2. For use in a control board comprising a plurality of movable endlesstapes disposed across a portion thereof in parallel relationship to oneanother, and having an index transverse to the ends of said tapes tocarry items to Which Vmovement of said tapes relates; a master chartdisposable behind said tapes on which movements of said tapes may berecorded to provide a permanent record of the information currentlyconveyed by said tapes, when said chart is positioned on said board, anda duplicate index hingedly secured to said master chart in the samerelationship to said tapes as said first mentioned index bears to suchtapes.

3. A control board comprising a plurality of individually movableendless tapes disposed across a portion thereof, each Vof said endlesstapes having an opaque section and a transparent section joined end toend, said opaque section of each tape having a dull exposed surfaceadapted to take erasable markings, and a series of indicia behind eachtape adapted to represent values, with only that portion of said seriesloe-v hind said transparent section exposed to View.

4. A control board having a plurality of endless individually movabletapes disposed across l2 at -least a portion thereof, each of saidendless tapes comprising a pair of sections of comparable widthconnected end to end, one of said sections being opaque with a dullexposed surface adapted to take erasable markings and the other of saidsections being transparent.

5. A control board having a plurality of endless individually movabletapes dis-posed across at least a portion thereof, each of said endlesstapes comprising a pair of sections of comparable width connected end toend at the front of said board by an eyelet, permitting of theintroduction therethrough of a marking tool, one of said sections beingopaque with a dull exposed surface adapted to take erasable markings and6. A control board comprising a central portion, a plurality of movableVendless tapes disposed across said central portion in parallelrelationship to one another, a pendulum rod disposed transverse to saidtapes, and means vfor moving said pendulum rod at wille-along saidtapes, said means including a block, a pivot connection extendingoutwardly from said block for swingably supporting said pendulum rod ina plane parallel to the'plane of said tapes, and

"a track adjacent the upper end of said control board on which saidblock may slide. v

7. In combination with a frame including vertical and horizontalmembers, a shiftable line guide comprising a rod extending substantiallyacross said frame and terminating inV a broad base, a tongue and grooveslidable connection between said base and one of said frame members andinvolving a spring between such tongue and a wall of such groove, andmeans for adjusting the perpendicularity of said rod to said framemember said means involving a pair of screws for aiiixing said base tosaid tongue with one of such screws passing through a slot-opening insaid base.

8. In a control board having a plurality of individually movable tapesand an index for items to be controlled thereby, a backing sheetdisposed behind the paths of movement of said tapes, said Ybacking sheethaving a plurality of spaced ribs extending therealong between the pathsof move'- ment of such tapes to define channels along such `paths ofmovement for the reception of strips, strips in such channels, saidstrips bearing information thereon usable in conjunction with said tapesto interpret movements of said tapes in relationship to such indexeditems.

9.- A control board comprising a backing sheet having a plurality ofparallel spaced ribs extending therealong to denne channels, a pluralityof information bearing strips in said channels, a plurality ofsubstantially opaque tape sections, and means for slidably supportingsaid opaque tape sections along said channels to progressively block outsaid strips.

CLAUDE W. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

l UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 362,665 Safford May 10, 18871,482,606* Goldrick Feb. 5, 1924 1,522,328 Rogers Jan. 6, 1925 1,554,467Stratton I Sept. 22, 1925 (Other references on following page) Number 13UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Larson Dec. 21, 1926 Szepesi Apr. 5,1927 Morichard May 17, 1927 Felty July 10, 1928 Ingram Sept. 11, 1928Andres et a1 May 7, 1929 Hoffmann Dec. 3, 1929 Goldsmith Dec. 24, 1929Whtcomb Jan. 27, 1931 Buck Jan. 19, 1937 Epps Nov. 2, 1937 Jackson May24, 1938 Ammann July 18, 1939 Number Number Name Date Dobbin Aug. 8,1939 Hanford Mar. 11, 1941 OBren Jan. 13, 1942 Perenyi Mar. 3, 1942Rosin Sept. 22, 1942 Hanford Mar. 16, 1943 Hayes Jan. '15, 1946Curtenius Apr. 29, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Italy May 12, 1938Germany of 1923

